Pay attention. And when someone speaks, listen.
It could save a life.
Those were the points that Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg drove home when he delivered the keynote address at the Shaka Franklin Foundation’s 27th Love Our Children Luncheon.
The Shaka Franklin Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to suicide intervention and prevention. Like Groberg, founder Les Franklin, who lost two sons to suicide, knows just how important it is to lend an ear and get people the help they need before they take their own life.
On Aug. 8, 2012, Groberg, who is now Boeing’s director of veteran outreach, was serving as a personal security detachment commander for Task Force Mountain Warrior in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, responsible for the safety of 28 coalition and Afghan National Army personnel as they traveled on foot to the provincial governor’s compound.
As the patrol advanced, Groberg spotted a man walking backward and wearing a jacket that appeared bulkier than normal. Instinctively, Groberg knew it was a suicide bomber so he sprinted toward the man and wrestled him to the ground. The bomb he was carrying detonated, killing four members of Groberg’s party.
Groberg himself suffered life-threatening injuries and underwent 33 surgeries in the 36 months he spent recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He admitted that thoughts of suicide crossed his mind as he lay in that hospital bed.
A high school track star whose dreams of competing in the Olympics were dashed after losing half of his calf muscle and sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury in the incident, Groberg advised those attending the event held at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center to not lose hope, no matter the situation.
“Life is precious,” he said. “Find the strength to live and open up to others to let them in to help. Share your story and trust loved ones and those who care.”
Groberg followed his own advice, and in November 2015, then-President Barack Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor for valor in combat.
The luncheon, which raised $165,000, also included the presentation of several scholarships.
Raul Cardenas, vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, accepted a check for $25,000 to add to the Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth Scholarship Fund; Dan Ackeren accepted a $15,000 check for the Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth Athletic Scholarship at the University of Denver; and military veteran Doug Hernandez was given a $2,500 scholarship to help him complete his senior year at CU Denver, after which he will enroll in medical school.
Lida Citroen, an international branding specialist, introduced Groberg to an audience that included Matt Vogl, (cq) director of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus National Behavioral Innovation Center; Karic (cq) Roberts, who served 15 years in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer; and Roger Fink, president of FinkInk and the event’s master of ceremonies.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, partiwriter@hotmail.com and @joannedavidson on Twitter
